Economical vs Ecological

June 30, 2009Article by Ray Withers

2 years have now nearly passed since Lehman Brothers collapsed and the global ‘credit crunch’ reared it’s ugly head. Always keen to examine trends and investor patterns, I am curious to examine the effect the economic downturn has had on buyers moral conscious.

Environmentally friendly developments and eco-lodges were very much the desired objects in the pre-credit crunch era, and many developers were keen to promote these features as powerful sales hooks. However, I wonder if investing in such developments was seen as a luxury and when cheap credit was easily available, buyers were prepared to spend that little bit extra to do their bit for the environment.

In the current climate, do investors give any thought to the green credentials of their investment? I would like to think so, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this has dropped down the pecking order somewhat. Climate change hasn’t gone away over the past 2 years, in fact many scientists argue it is accelerating faster then ever before, but unfortunately investors are ruled by the head and not the heart.

What do you think? Are you still looking to invest in environmentally friendly property or has your outlook changed?

Author

Ray Withers

Ray has over 17 years’ experience in the international property market and bought his own first international property investment back in 2002. Aside from running Property Frontiers, Ray has been involved in residential, hotel, student and commercial property investment and development in both the UK and overseas and co-wrote "Where to Buy Property Abroad - An Investor's Guide".
As Founder and Trustee of the Frontiers Foundation, Ray is directly involved with many of its projects to ensure they have a direct and tangible impact in individual communities across the globe.
He is passionate about property, travelling, scouting out new opportunities and finding time to spend with his young family.